Fleece it up

My computer has been down for awhile so I didn't think I could post pictures, but I figured out I can still get my pictures by uploading them onto campus computers. But yeah, I have a lot of pictures.

Haha, I love this picture. This is on the way to stake conference.


Utah can have a cool sky too.


Playing Risk on Cannon's computer

Met up with my Uganda peeps.

Colby's car.

Playing this fun winking game at the Bishop's house.

Attaboy Mitt.

Whenever I chat with Carrie on gmail, two text boxes always come up.

Me and Barack Hussein Obama.

Little la likes her beef jerky. Colbers doesn't like getting his picture taken.

My sweet ride for a month. A 2008 Toyota Prius Hybrid. I should have taken some pictures on the inside.

I spied on the enemy. Mr. Huckabigot.

I walked downstairs in the morning and what did I see? A lamp magneted onto the ceiling. And Miss Jenny creepily standing there.

Eating with Apartment #3. We celebrated the joining of our two apartments through Kecca's (Kyle and Becca) engagement. Soon we'll all be roommates-in-law.

Mitt won Michigan. So we celebrated at Del Taco. Attaboy Del Taco.

A wicked cool sunset while walking home from campus.

Contra-dancing. Which has nothing to do with the nintendo game, I found out.

Wow, Tricia got taken out by a Wyoming mile marker #138.

We rocked the caucus.

The other side of the gym had a Ron Paul and a Thompson section. Our whole side was pretty much Mitt Romney. We had some fun chants across the court.

We were talking to Cannon, who we thought was in bed, but then he came upstairs, but it seriously looks like he's in there.

Adam and Cannon being boys.

Uganda Scholarship


Hey, this is from a friend of mine who went to Uganda.

"I'm helping create a scholarship program for the kids at some of the schools we worked with last summer in Uganda, and right now we're trying to get an idea of who might be interested in sponsoring a student. It will probably cost about $10 a month for tuition, food and housing for an elementary school student, and $50 a month for a secondary school student. There's no pressure at all - just send me an email if you thinkyou might be interested (let me know how many and what level) and I'll send you more info when I get it.Thanks so much!"

If you want to do it, send me an email. Thanks!

Snow Miser (He looks a lot like Pete Carroll)

The other day I realized that all my BYU friends were going home for Christmas...and that when they go back, I'll be going back too. It hadn't really registered until then that I'm actually going back, I really haven't thought about it that much. I prayed for my friends last week, with finals and everything. Gosh I hate finals. Only one finals week left for me...but it'll be a doozy, the worst one.

I've been making TONS of phone calls for the campaign. They give me a Verizon phone to make the phone calls with, but we odn't have reception out here so I make most of my phone calls in the K-Mart parking in my car. It gets so cold doing it and I always want to end a little early and just do more the next day. But here's the thing...it's the same with running, exercising, or other things where you want to end a little early. It's so easy to end a little early or to make excuses for not doing something, but that's what's interesting about discipline...it's tough! But it feels really good going to the end, toughening it out, and accomplishing your goals.

Next Sunday is my last Sunday in the singles ward here. I'm going to miss it. A lot of fun people and it's been kind of like being a missionary again. Last week I gave a talk and taught 2 lessons, takes me back to my good ole missionary days.

Peter Jackson is doing the Hobbit! He's actually doing 2 movies, which will come out in 2010 and 2011. He hasn't said if he wants to direct it, but he is an executive producer. Gosh I'm excited for those movies! Christmas time! I love it! Coolness in the air, the smell of firewood, snow, and pine trees. Christmas cookies, Christmas movies like Claymation Christmas, A Christmas Carol, A Year without a Santa Claus, Frosty the Snowman, Jack Frost, Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, A Very Brady Christmas, Miracle on 34th street, Disney Christmas videos, etc. And then Christmas songs in Church. My favorites are the First Noel, Away in a Manger, Silent Night, Do You Hear What I Hear, and Angels We have Heard on High. It's Christmas! It's Christ, it's family, it's tradititions, it's everything.

My friend Honorable Moses died in Uganda. Captain Frank emailed me and said he was killed in an accident. It hurts to hear that. He was a fun kid to be around and ambitious to become a politician, that's why I called him Honorable Moses. When I'd go to the Crane School in Mukono, I would sit by Moses and we'd chat and joke around. Even though he was only 12, he knew a lot about Ugandan politics and quite a bit about American politics, we would talk a lot about politics and such. Once, when I was teaching a class about geography, I asked lots of questions about what language the people spoke in the different countries and he was able to answer many of the questions. I noticed that these kids liked talking about the world. They liked feeling a part of the bigger world. The whole time I was there he'd costantly say that he wanted me to try out the sugar cane because it was the best. One day I didn't see him at school and learned that the students who didn't have the required school materials had to leave and couldn't come back until they had them. I ran into him on the way home, he took me his home and gave me sugar cane. His home was very small and it was just obvious that his family was very poor. But Moses was always smiling and optimistic. Good kid.


He's on my right side, in the blue sweater.


That's him in the front in the blue sweater.



In the center in red.

Honorable Moses

I just like this picture



I forgot how much I don't like papers. I edited a paper for a Chinese student I taught in Holland and it wasn't fun. True, I don't get much out of Chinese environmental policy, but I kind of wish we didn't have English "rules" and could just say what we wanted. But I guess communication is better when we follow the same rules huh?

I love this college football season! Arizona beat Oregon last week, I think they're like the 6th top 5 team to get beat by an unranked team this year- CRAZY! It's just too bad we couldn't beat UCLA or Tulsa. If we wouldn't have lost to Tulsa I think we'd be in the top 15 sending us to a BCS bowl. We're not getting much love from the polls, though we finally got into the top 25. I think it's because we play on a network that is very limited. Poll voters, let alone BYU fans, can't watch the games because of the Mtn network. That is the worst thing that's happened to the MWC. It has hurt all the teams with getting into the top 25 and recruiting. I like the idea of going to the Big 12.

I think I have a man crush on John Beck. The guy is just an amazing quarterback and I still get goosebumps everytime I watch the "answered prayer" touchdown against Utah last year. Beck didn't do the best in his first start against the Eagles, but he'll most likely play out the rest of the season. I hope he tears it up in the NFL, I haen't really been interested in the NFL since Steve Young played.

So, I pretty much read every article that comes out about Mitt Romney online. I read through all the articles and the comments and there really is a lot of anti-Mormon stuff coming out in these articles and comments because of Mitt. A lot of it is about Joseph Smith. It's kinda strange reading this stuff from my "interested in politics" side instead of my "religious" side. A couple days ago, in my scripture study, I was reading a talk and it went into Joseph Smith's vision when he saw God and Jesus Christ. It was just a good experience where the Spirit confirmed once again, that Joseph Smith was a prophet. No matter how much others try to demonize him, he is the prophet of the Restoration and did God's work while he was here.

Well my mom wanted me to beef up this semester and it's worked. I'm around 166 now, about 20 pounds heavier than when I got home from Uganda. I eat a lot...and will eat a lot more during the holidays, but I'm doing my best to run and lift. See, the problem is that I'm flat. I was looking at high school pictures the other day and man was I skinny. So I like that I'm filled out more.

Cannon, usually you can't tell if he's in his bead or not because his bed is always made.


I think I've put this picture in my blog before, but it looks like it belongs in the Lord of the Rings

Yeah buddy. Coach Mendenhall.

33-31, Harline's still open! I doubt this year's game will compete with last year, but just as long as we win against the Yewts.

Ha, this was great, a bunch of us burned the Christmas tree up Rock Canyon.

Playin the guitar pretty high up.

I was going through these pictures with Trevor, our Rec Management class hiked up these slot canyons- Ding and Dang Canyons

Chattin with the kids in the IDP camp near Gulu.

Yes, those are really his legs

Pretty typical in Mukono- cows going onto the main road.

100% Exhausted

I was so exhausted the whole weekend, which was weird because during the week is when I'm really active and usually I rest on the weekend. I think everything from the past 3 weeks just caught up with me. I was just so drained. I think I stopped myself before thinking too irrational about things.

Friday night we had a Halloween party for the branch. It was actulaly a birthday party, but we turned it into a Halloween party. Saturday I helped our Matt Schultz put on stamps on all these postcards he's sending out. He's running for reelection on the city council. I had a great chat with him about politics, Council Bluffs, the presidential candidates, etc. I'm really thinking about working full-time for the Republican nominee after the winter semester even if it's not Romney, though I think it will be Romney. He also gave me ideas about running for office around here.

Sunday was kind of rough. I had this problem on my mission too, but it's frustrating and stressful when others don't have the same level of committment I do. Sometimes I really feel like shaking someone and saying, "Come on man, get with it...do this, do that and then this will happen." It's definitely a weakness of mine, but also a strength. When I commit to something, I commit like a pitbull and will not let go, but I expect people to have this same level of committment or just place too high expectations for them period. I need to cut people more slack and not be "in the box" towards them. I've read some really good books lately- Leadership and Self-Deception and Anatomy of Peace. There's really good advice in those books about not letting you see yourself as the victim and preventing you from being "in the box" or a warring attitude toward them. I really recommend those books.


Kayla scored two goals at this game


AL-TJ. City rivals. I went over to enemy territory during the game. I think Colby's out there on kickoff return.

There's Jamie...and Colby #4 in the background.

We won 20-6 and the students rushed the field...reminded me of when we won my senior year and they all rushed the field.

So after the game I decided to reenact my last carry...Beck takes the ball at the 6 yard line, he breaks to the outside, spin move and...

TOUCHDOWN! I miss football. It hurt going to the games.

Attagirl Kayla, way to ride that bike.

Ha, Zuster Lambooij called me and chewed me out for not having her picture up on my blog still, so I put her back on. Alstublieft Zuster Lambooij! Ik houd van jou.

7:00 in the morning, getting my music ready and pumping myself up.

I'm really not sure why, but a lot of people started out far back...there was room up front, but whatever.

Look how happy I am...obviously I have no idea what the marathon will really be like.

...Al...most...there

They wouldn't let me fall over and die like I wanted to.

Jamie Lynn came with me.

On our way out. It was almost sad to end all the training, running, and the actual marathon.

I believe the song that was playing was, "I'm too sexy"...fitting.

Ha, there was a lot of costume swapping at the Halloween party.

Yeah, it's true, I used the same costume as last year. But it works.

I gave my ostrich the name of Erwin.

Yep.

Dad's helping Jamie with her math homework. So the tradition continues.

I think my handwriting comes out in my carving a pumpkin. It's just obvious which one is mine.

Somebody had to walk around with the mikes at the town meeting with Governor Romney.

Yeah Governor. Seriously folks, he's our next President.

So this is what Rusty does to get attention: He comes up to you, does this little stretch thing, and then hugs your legs, curls up and encourages you to rub his belly. He's trying to be cute.

Kayla said she was cold so I wrapped in like 10 blankets.

Proof that humans are smarter than dogs.

Rusty sleeping.

Colby fell over in his chair...it was pretty funny.

A sketch of the kids when I was on my mission. For some reason I just really like this picture.

Uganda buddy.

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Kayla turned 12, so she blew out the candles...three times.

The Stake Young Women's President asked me to read this letter at a young women's fireside. It was nice.

To My Dream Girl...We'll be in love someday, you and I. But I'm not sure I know you now. Someday somewhere we will discover each other.I'm home from the mission field, still feeling the way only a returned missionary can feel, still floating on memories too new to be dim. And, Dream Girl, I'm looking for you. A few years ago I was one of the boys, running the race of popularity - more concerned with sharp styles and good-looking cars than anything else.Then came the call, the farewell, the field. I was a missionary. There was the humbling realization of my greenishness and the regrets that I hadn't spent more hours gaining an understanding of the plan of living. I worked and studied and prayed. With new understanding of the precepts of Christ came new determination to live them, and new what had been a vague inner assurance became a burning testimony. I began tasting what is only a word until you tast it--joy--an exalted happiness that dwarfed the passing pleasures I had thought so desirable only yesterday. I began to comprehend the deeper significance of love and marriage and the family. I began thinking serious thoughts about the girl of the future--about you, Dream Girl--wondering, like all who are young, where you were and how I would know you.You, I told myself, would know what I knew. You would want to share the joy that would come from walking though life with the Lord at our side. You would want to go to the Temple. You would want to be queen of the greatest kingdom on earth--the home. You would want to be a mother. I brought home with me the knowledge that the gospel is essential to true happiness--and part of the gospel is you.And so I'm not interested in the girl who gives her lips freely--the girl who is immodest in dress and conduct. I'm not interested in the girl who changes her standards to fit her company--the girl who can see nothing wrong with an occasional cigarette or an occasional drink or occasional immorality. My mission taught me that "just once won't matter" can be traced to the Prince of Lies. I'm not looking for you at shady parties because, Dream Girl, you're not there.
You will not be the kind of girl who cares nothing and knows nothing about homemaking. Marriage will bring us face-to-face with the down-to-earth problems of living. There will be meals to prepare and dishes to wash, clothes to care for, and dirt to battle. There will be budgeting and sacrificing. There will be all the cares and responsibilities of parenthood. Going through the temple is not a magic solution for the preparing for the responsibilities we will carry as husband and wife and as parents.Neither of us will be perfect, Dream Girl, but we will love each other for what we want to be as well as for what we are. And when we don't see eye-to-eye, we will kneel hand in hand and seek the inspiration of the Father.There will not be many tomorrows until we meet. And when we do, I will still enjoy dating and dancing, still laugh with you, still relish good clean fun. But I will sense the inner part of you, too. I will feel your faith-your love for God. I will not be concerned with your popularity as much as with your spirituality, with your face and figure as much as with your ideas and ideals, with your ability to dance as much as your ability to make a home. I will see you as my future Queen.

So there you are--in my dreams.